Windows Explorer dark theme doesn't work

[nitrium]

So just installed the October Update and was looking forward to the new dark Explorer theme, but sadly it is still very much white for me.
(Personalization > Colors and selected the “choose your app mode” option to dark).
Checked that the update has successfully installed. Tried setting to Light, rebooting, and selecting Dark and rebooting. All the screens that worked with the previous dark theme are still dark (i.e. all the System Settings/Control Panel screens). It's just Explorer that is steadfastly remaining very much white regardless of color setting.

 

[karenjoly]

Works good here. FE black as night. Night comes just by changing the setting, no need to reboot.

 

[Colif]

1 option is to create a new local account, and see if same thing happens on it.

If it doesn't you can make new user admin, and copy contents of old users folder in C:\Users\Username onto new users folder, this will give it the same access as old user. Then just need to set up browsers, and Steam/Onedrive if you used either. IT only takes a few minutes and you don't lose anything.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/4026923/windows-10-create-a-local-user-or-administrator-account

See if option 2 here helps - https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/24038-change-default-app-mode-light-dark-theme-windows-10-a.html

 

[USAFRet]

Works just fine for me.

 

[nitrium]

Works just fine for me.

You do realise that telling someone it works for you isn't at all useful/helpful? As a Mod I'm sure you do. Anyway, I already know it works for just about everyone or my issue would be all over Google Search (which it isn't). It also works just fine on my MCPC BTW. But it isn't working whatsoever on my main desktop for some reason, hence my question here.

 

[nitrium]

1 option is to create a new local account, and see if same thing happens on it.
If it doesn't you can make new user admin, and copy contents of old users folder in C:\Users\Username onto new users folder, this will give it the same access as old user. Then just need to set up browsers, and Steam/Onedrive if you used either. IT only takes a few minutes and you don't lose anything.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/4026923/windows-10-create-a-local-user-or-administrator-account
See if option 2 here helps - https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/24038-change-default-app-mode-light-dark-theme-windows-10-a.html

Thanks for the reply. I have tried both options without success. I checked the registry, and the required Theme Keys are present and set to the correct value.The Calculator app is dark themed BTW. It's just Explorer that refuses to have the dark theme applied. Pretty sure the only option left is to reinstall Windows 10 - however that is hardly worth it for a dark Explorer skin.

 

[gardenman]

Hi, try changing your Windows Theme to "Windows" first and see if that helps.

Source:
https://www.tenforums.com/windows-insider/115434-dark-theme-doesnt-properly-work-file-explorer.html

Another:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/9kztcg/new_dark_mode_on_fileexplorer/

 

[mangopositive]

I had the same issue. It turns out that my computer updated to Windows version 1803 and it needed to be 1809, which my "Check for Updates Manually" button didn't find. If you download the upgrade assistant from Microsoft (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=799445), it will let you download and install 1809.

 

[USAFRet]

Works just fine for me.

You do realise that telling someone it works for you isn't at all useful/helpful? As a Mod I'm sure you do. Anyway, I already know it works for just about everyone or my issue would be all over Google Search (which it isn't). It also works just fine on my MCPC BTW. But it isn't working whatsoever on my main desktop for some reason, hence my question here.

I was just chiming in to bring a data point to..."It's not a common or universal problem"

 

[karenjoly]

exactly

 

[alphazulu23x]

I'm having the same issue, I've updated to 1809 on 4 devices. Two laptops and two desktops.

Of those four, two of them the dark theme works fine and the other two do not work.

And just to be clear, the two laptops are clean installs of windows 10. One is personal and one is for work. Both already had the latest updates until yesterday when I ran the 1809 update

Steps taken to troubleshoot
-Created new local account; no change
-following the steps in the above mentioned links don't work.

Re-iterating that saying "it works for me" is kinda pointless/rude because it does nothing to help.


I think the safest and easiest reasoning is that the update itself is buggy in that it doesn't work for everyone.

 

[alphazulu23x]

Works just fine for me.

You do realise that telling someone it works for you isn't at all useful/helpful? As a Mod I'm sure you do. Anyway, I already know it works for just about everyone or my issue would be all over Google Search (which it isn't). It also works just fine on my MCPC BTW. But it isn't working whatsoever on my main desktop for some reason, hence my question here.

I had the same issue. It turns out that my computer updated to Windows version 1803 and it needed to be 1809, which my "Check for Updates Manually" button didn't find. If you download the upgrade assistant from Microsoft (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=799445), it will let you download and install 1809.

Thanks for posting that link. I downloaded that update utility and that fixed it for me.

 

[Colif]

Hmmm, so you were on 1803 trying to use features of 1809? That will explain it. Note to self: next time confirm the user is on 1809 by asking them to check winver

@op, can you confirm you are on 1809?
right click start
choose run...
type winver and press enter

current version is 1809, build 17763.1

 

[alphazulu23x]

Hmmm, so you were on 1803 trying to use features of 1809? That will explain it. Note to self: next time confirm the user is on 1809 by asking them to check winver

@op, can you confirm you are on 1809?
right click start
choose run...
type winver and press enter

current version is 1809, build 17763.1

I never said I was on 1803, that's an assumption.

I actually had checked the version and it was 1809, that's how I know there was a problem with the update.

Not my fault the built in Windows update sucks.

 

[Colif]

Hmmm, so you were on 1803 trying to use features of 1809? That will explain it. Note to self: next time confirm the user is on 1809 by asking them to check winver

@op, can you confirm you are on 1809?
right click start
choose run...
type winver and press enter

current version is 1809, build 17763.1

I never said I was on 1803, that's an assumption.

I actually had checked the version and it was 1809, that's how I know there was a problem with the update.

Not my fault the built in Windows update sucks.

Sorry, I was sort of replying to mangopositive, I should have said as much in reply.

 

[nitrium]

I had the same issue. It turns out that my computer updated to Windows version 1803 and it needed to be 1809, which my "Check for Updates Manually" button didn't find. If you download the upgrade assistant from Microsoft (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=799445), it will let you download and install 1809.

This fully solved it. The weird thing is that the update apparently had installed successfully. It even reset the Windows Wallpaper to default as usual, and the "check for updates" told me I had the latest Windows version. Further, the Update History clearly showed the update as installed. Anyway, thanks solving this!